So in the UFC...

[Dinkydoo]

It's not "his methods" it's the UFC's. I stated several months ago the UFC was going the way of the WWE. This is all a part of that persona.
What you have to realize is that most of what you see is show. Is there some bad blood between some fighters, sure. However, for the most part the fighters are very respectful towards each other behind the scenes. Aldo was smiling and laughing the whole time. It is a part of the UFC show!

If its all a persona then I'm almost less interested in watching more UFC in future - I've noticed Bellator going this way a bit too, although I far from watch all the fights and keep right up to date with either competition. I'm not convinced it all is panto though; i've known a few guys that act like that and McGregor just gives me the impression that he's generally an aggressive character. If he isnt then I take my hat off to him, he's a good actor. I assumed Aldo was laughing because the act of coming down to shout at him was a bit puerile. His wife didnt look impressed and his daughter less so.

 

[Danny T]

...this aggression is a big selling point with the UFC and he's encouraged to be that bit more 'flamboyant and creative' with it. The fact that people are talking about proves it works, however much we wish it didn't and would prefer it not to be done.

Truth.

As a martial artist I don't like this part of the game.
As a fighter coach I know it, understand it, and use it.
As to the UFC I dislike the organization. However, they have been huge in the growth of MMA.

 

[Dinkydoo]

One thing I disagree with strongly is that MMA fight nights or even weigh ins is not a place to bring young children.

Why? I don't see it as being any different from taking a child to a boxing match. Some might not think its appropriate but its a valid sport, so I'm not against it. I certainly don't think there should be any fear of them being knocked over by security during/after the fight though. No spectator should expect that.

I don't know Connor though I do know his coach, he's brought fighters over several times for us. The thing with Connor I think is that he's in a long tradition of 'fighting Irish', where they are very aggressive both in and out of the ring, sadly it is a crowd pleaser which it shouldn't be.

In other words, a bit of a meat-head. We have those types in Scotland (and England) too unfortunately - can't comment on Wales!

He came into MMA from boxing rather than martial arts although he has trained in some. His BJJ belt is from his coach John. I imagine this aggression is a big selling point with the UFC and he's encouraged to be that bit more 'flamboyant and creative' with it. The fact that people are talking about proves it works, however much we wish it didn't and would prefer it not to be done.
The cult of Conor McGregor Why it s time to give The Notorious Irish fighter a UFC title shot - Mirror Online

It works and gets some people more interested in fights, but it makes a bit of a mockery of the whole thing. The second you bring theatrics into competition I start to doubt the authenticity of the actual contest I'm watching. If its just a part-scripted money spinner masquerading as sport then I'm not interested, to be blunt.

 

[Tez3]

Don't mistake the UFC with being the sport, there's plenty of MMA promotions who don't go around behaving like the UFC which has done this since it's inception. It has always been about showmanship, it's never been about just good fighters facing each other. Condemn the UFC but not MMA.
We don't allow children into our fight nights, few here do, it's simply not the place for a child. Language, alcohol and violence in the ring/cage plus the lateness of the night make it unsuitable for those under at least 15. I wouldn't take a child to a boxing match either. I especially would not take my child in if I were fighting. These are events for adults. I would take a child to a no gi or BJJ competition that was a daytime event, also some interclubs where the fights are amateur and on mats, they are suitable for children to watch as well as compete in. I have been to hundreds of fight nights and it would be a very rare thing for a child to be there, it is generally discouraged, licensing laws for one thing usually prevent children in venues where alcohol is sold after a certain time of night. I would look askance at any parent taking a child into a fight night, even more so if he were fighting.

 

[Tez3]

Don't watch this if swearing offends you

 

[Dinkydoo]

Ha Tez, I liked that!

For what its worth, I'm not condemning MMA at all. I dont watch a lot of UFC or Bellator but I do go through stints of getting into it for a bit before I realise I dont really have to time to train AND watch people fighting all the time without making that all I do! I've enjoyed what I've seen of UFC in general although if it's going to continue down the route of encouraging 'characters' like McGregor then I'll be giving it a miss in future and instead go back to watching a bit of Invicta or the lower profile kickboxing and muay thai competitions.

I don't have children yet so that opinion may change when that day comes, I appreciate what you're saying but I just think there's a difference between knowingly bringing a child to watch aggression in the ring where it is more controlled as opposed to having it a foot away from them.

 

[Transk53]

I understand the need for putting on a show and building up a bit of hype but McGregor came across as a bit of a thug. I know there is a 'macho' element to martial arts particularly when fighting competitively, but shouting in the face of a man who has his wife and kids beside him isnt the behaviour of a trained and disciplined athlete, its acting like an ******* imo. He could easily have stood and pointed, shouting from the cage but he had to act tough, force the security to almost get involved before swaggering off. I hope he gets his *** handed to him. A good fighter, but comes across as utterly classless.

Then why would a fighter take his wife and kids, to show them that Daddy is going to mess up McGregor. If anything they are both responsible. There is showmanship both sides, not moral outrage

 

[Dinkydoo]

Then why would a fighter take his wife and kids, to show them that Daddy is going to mess up McGregor. If anything they are both responsible. There is showmanship both sides, not moral outrage

I'm not going to second guess the motivation behind Aldo taking his wife and child to see his next opponent fight. He would have been given the tickets and he might have decided he still wanted to spend the evening with his family (ifs, buts and maybes though). I'm not sure merely sitting in the crowd and hopping out the ring to get at your next opponent are on comparable levels of showmanship.

If it was all scripted then fine, no outrage on my part, but it makes the UFC look stupid.

 

[Transk53]

I'm not going to second guess the motivation behind Aldo taking his wife and child to see his next opponent fight. He would have been given the tickets and he might have decided he still wanted to spend the evening with his family (ifs, buts and maybes though). I'm not sure merely sitting in the crowd and hopping out the ring to get at your next opponent are on comparable levels of showmanship.

If it was all scripted then fine, no outrage on my part, but it makes the UFC look stupid.

Not a slight against against you, but I was thinking about what I have seen growing up, or at least had seen in the 70's to 80's etc. This being boxing, a bit of wrestling (although not a huge fan) with the then WFF. Okay on some level, McGregor may well have been out of order, but this sort of thing has been happening for decades in one way or another. The whole thing stinks of a set up anyway, so in that sense, the UFC would look like prats. Does not make a jot of difference though, the UFC is getting free publicity, and to be honest I could not begrudge them that. It does what it says on tin, and it has worked. Quite brilliant really!

 

[Tez3]

Ha Tez, I liked that!

For what its worth, I'm not condemning MMA at all. I dont watch a lot of UFC or Bellator but I do go through stints of getting into it for a bit before I realise I dont really have to time to train AND watch people fighting all the time without making that all I do! I've enjoyed what I've seen of UFC in general although if it's going to continue down the route of encouraging 'characters' like McGregor then I'll be giving it a miss in future and instead go back to watching a bit of Invicta or the lower profile kickboxing and muay thai competitions.

I don't have children yet so that opinion may change when that day comes, I appreciate what you're saying but I just think there's a difference between knowingly bringing a child to watch aggression in the ring where it is more controlled as opposed to having it a foot away from them.

Have you been to an MMA fight night? it's not the aggression in the ring/cage, it's very much the crowd, an all adult one, the alcohol, the music, it's all adult orientated, it really isn't for children who have no place being there.

The UFC is as when it started, a money making business, no problem with that but it has never been about 'pure' sport, that's the least of it, it will do what it has to to make money. it has always pulled 'stunt's and will carry on doing so. It's been good for MMA in that it has made it known to a wider audience but it's done that at a cost to MMA that we may all come to regret.

 

[Transk53]

Have you been to an MMA fight night? it's not the aggression in the ring/cage, it's very much the crowd, an all adult one, the alcohol, the music, it's all adult orientated, it really isn't for children who have no place being there.

The UFC is as when it started, a money making business, no problem with that but it has never been about 'pure' sport, that's the least of it, it will do what it has to to make money. it has always pulled 'stunt's and will carry on doing so. It's been good for MMA in that it has made it known to a wider audience but it's done that at a cost to MMA that we may all come to regret.

I thought you would have had to been 18 to get in to a fight.

 

[Tez3]

I thought you would have had to been 18 to get in to a fight.

Most places yes, MMA in the UK is unregulated so the rules are whatever a promotion wants them to be including the fight rules. Most fight nights are held in places like working mens clubs, night clubs, conference venues etc, all licensed so children would not be welcomed anyway. Most events are evening ones, there is a lot of drinking, betting a lot of noise, very loud music and a mostly male crowd out to enjoy themselves. It can get rowdy and raucous. Like boxing shows it's considered a place to go out and enjoy yourself, the fights are entertainment. Supporters of fighters especially local fighters are very loud in that support. What you see on the television when the UFC is on is rarely more than the first few rows of 'posh' seats. You don't see or hear the rest, it's sanitised.

 

[Dinkydoo]

Have you been to an MMA fight night? it's not the aggression in the ring/cage, it's very much the crowd, an all adult one, the alcohol, the music, it's all adult orientated, it really isn't for children who have no place being there.

The UFC is as when it started, a money making business, no problem with that but it has never been about 'pure' sport, that's the least of it, it will do what it has to to make money. it has always pulled 'stunt's and will carry on doing so. It's been good for MMA in that it has made it known to a wider audience but it's done that at a cost to MMA that we may all come to regret.

Yea, I've been to a few local MMA nights and open martial arts competitions and what I experienced sounds like a different kind of atmosphere from what you're describing, which is fair enough.

The MMA nights didn't have an overly rowdy atmosphere and although they certainly weren't geared towards children being there, I didn't find it dissimilar to kids sitting in a pub with thier parents whilst a big football match is on - with the added justification that they were there to support relatives fighting. If parents decide that its suitable for thier children and there are no rules against it on the night, I havent got an issue with it, so long as they aren't around that kind of thing all the time.

Regardless of Aldo's little girl being there, I felt that McGregor acted like an asshat - acting or being serious. Her pressence certainly added to my annoyance though. Its a business model that might work, but I'm not a fan of it.

 

[Tez3]

Yea, I've been to a few local MMA nights and open martial arts competitions and what I experienced sounds like a different kind of atmosphere from what you're describing, which is fair enough.

The MMA nights didn't have an overly rowdy atmosphere and although they certainly weren't geared towards children being there, I didn't find it dissimilar to kids sitting in a pub with thier parents whilst a big football match is on - with the added justification that they were there to support relatives fighting. If parents decide that its suitable for thier children and there are no rules against it on the night, I havent got an issue with it, so long as they aren't around that kind of thing all the time.

Regardless of Aldo's little girl being there, I felt that McGregor acted like an asshat - acting or being serious. Her pressence certainly added to my annoyance though. Its a business model that might work, but I'm not a fan of it.

Which promotions did you go to? Have you been to Cage Rage, UCMMA, Cagewarriors etc? Or are these club events? Open martial arts comps are nothing like MMA fight nights.

 

[Dinkydoo]

Which promotions did you go to? Have you been to Cage Rage, UCMMA, Cagewarriors etc? Or are these club events? Open martial arts comps are nothing like MMA fight nights.

I haven't attended any of those promotions, to the best of my knowledge. The last one I went to was a couple of years ago now and it was called Battle of the Borders or something or other because its part of a series of fights around the Scottish border. I've been to a few SK Boxing nights too. All undoubtedly lower key than the type of thing you're talking about.

The open MA comps were good fun but I realise they are nothing like a Boxing or MMA fight night.

 

[Danny T]

The fighters are taking the antics directly from one of the greatest fight sport self-promoters, Muhammad Ali.
The UFC is following the WWE playbooks and it is working to sell, sell, sell.

I don't like the UFC but understand it. It is Entertainment. It is not about the best fighters or even the fights it is about using fighters to ENTERTAIN!!

 

[Tez3]

Battle of the Borders or something or other because its part of a series of fights around the Scottish border

They haven't had anything for a couple of years now and were basically fighters from two or three clubs fighting mostly lads from Carlisle ( where the promoters came from) with a couple of local ones and a couple from Leeds Cage. Though they did advertise 'British' titles which is laughable as there are no titles available as there is no governing body to offer them. A lot of small promotions offer 'British' titles but it means little other than to talk up the promotion lol.

 

[drop bear]

Don't mistake the UFC with being the sport, there's plenty of MMA promotions who don't go around behaving like the UFC which has done this since it's inception. It has always been about showmanship, it's never been about just good fighters facing each other. Condemn the UFC but not MMA.
We don't allow children into our fight nights, few here do, it's simply not the place for a child. Language, alcohol and violence in the ring/cage plus the lateness of the night make it unsuitable for those under at least 15. I wouldn't take a child to a boxing match either. I especially would not take my child in if I were fighting. These are events for adults. I would take a child to a no gi or BJJ competition that was a daytime event, also some interclubs where the fights are amateur and on mats, they are suitable for children to watch as well as compete in. I have been to hundreds of fight nights and it would be a very rare thing for a child to be there, it is generally discouraged, licensing laws for one thing usually prevent children in venues where alcohol is sold after a certain time of night. I would look askance at any parent taking a child into a fight night, even more so if he were fighting.

We have a whole kiddy section at ours. Heck we had a kid who trained with us ride on the shoulders of one of our guys during the walk out.

But we are far north qld. So think Texas without the gentrification.

 

[Tez3]

A typical crowd. Anderson Silva v Lee Murray, ref is Grant Waterman. Lee doesn't fight anymore, look him up he's a multi millionaire
A crowd at a show where everyone knows each other is different, at the proper shows including boxing however not a good idea.

 

[punisher73]

In the US, just look at the demographics. The UFC and the WWE share the same marketshare as each other as far as age group and who views it. Males 18-35 years old. You can bet that the UFC is going to take a page out of there book on marketing etc.

The other thing about fighters rankings etc. and a title fight. Overall, they mean nothing. The UFC will book many fights based on it's draw appeal and PPV buys. If a fighter is very popular with the fans and is a #5, they will book him a title fight before he loses and bumps his rank or popularity. Unlike boxing organizations, the UFC doesn't really have any "mandatory challengers" that their champs HAVE to fight. Granted, they usually do try to get #1 and #2 for the title fights, but if money overrides it they will (case in point, Carano vs. Roussey).